Federal Allowance Source Finder: Which Official Rate Table Should You Use?

Federal travel and overseas assignment allowances are spread across several official sources. The correct source depends on the type of allowance, the traveler or employee category, and the location.

This guide helps you find the right official allowance source for common federal travel, relocation, and overseas assignment questions.

Quick answer: which allowance source do I need?

1. CONUS per diem rates

Use this source when travel is inside the continental United States.

Official source: General Services Administration, commonly called GSA.

CONUS means the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. GSA publishes the lodging and meals and incidental expense rates used by federal agencies for official travel within CONUS.

Use GSA rates for questions like:

• What is the per diem rate for Washington, DC?
• What is the lodging rate for San Diego?
• What is the M&IE rate for Chicago?
• What rate applies for a domestic federal trip?
• What rate should I use for a CONUS contractor travel budget?

Common CONUS per diem fields

Use GSA when

• The destination is in the continental United States.
• You need domestic lodging or M&IE rates.
• You are pricing federal travel within CONUS.
• You are building a travel budget for a domestic federal contract.

2. Non-foreign OCONUS per diem rates

Use this source when travel is outside CONUS but not in a foreign country.

Official source: Defense Travel Management Office, commonly called DTMO.

Non-foreign OCONUS generally includes locations such as Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other U.S. territories or possessions.

Use DTMO rates for questions like:

• What is the per diem rate for Honolulu?
• What is the lodging rate for Anchorage?
• What is the OCONUS per diem rate for Guam?
• Which rate applies for travel to a U.S. territory?
• What rate should a DoD traveler use for non-foreign OCONUS travel?

Common non-foreign OCONUS per diem fields

Use DTMO when

• The destination is OCONUS but not foreign.
• The traveler is military or DoD civilian.
• You need per diem for Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories.
• You are working with Joint Travel Regulations or DoD travel rules.

3. Foreign per diem rates

Use this source when official travel is to a foreign country.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances.

Foreign per diem rates cover lodging and meals and incidental expenses for foreign destinations. These are separate from GSA CONUS rates and DTMO non-foreign OCONUS rates.

Use State foreign per diem rates for questions like:

• What is the per diem rate for Paris?
• What is the lodging rate for Tokyo?
• What is the M&IE rate for Nairobi?
• Which foreign per diem rate applies to an embassy or consulate city?
• What rate should I use for international federal travel?

Common foreign per diem fields

Use State foreign per diem rates when

• The destination is outside the United States and U.S. territories.
• You need lodging and M&IE for a foreign city.
• You are estimating international official travel costs.
• You are calculating an allowance tied to the foreign per diem rate, such as TQSA.

4. Post Allowance / Cost of Living Allowance

Use this source when estimating cost-of-living support for a foreign post.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances.

Post Allowance, often referred to as COLA, helps offset higher living costs at foreign posts. It is based on post classification, salary, family size, and other factors.

Use Post Allowance data for questions like:

• What is the COLA rate for a foreign post?
• How much Post Allowance could I receive overseas?
• How does family size affect Post Allowance?
• Which post has a higher cost-of-living allowance?
• How does a post allowance change affect compensation?

Common Post Allowance fields

Use Post Allowance data when

• You are comparing foreign assignments.
• You are estimating overseas civilian compensation.
• You are planning for an OCONUS federal job.
• You are modeling compensation for foreign-post employees.

5. Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance

Use this source when estimating temporary lodging, meals, laundry, and dry-cleaning support at a foreign post.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances, DSSR 120.

Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance, commonly called TQSA, applies to eligible employees and family members occupying temporary quarters at a foreign post. It is generally connected to arrival at post or final departure from post.

Use TQSA data for questions like:

• What is my maximum TQSA ceiling?
• How much TQSA applies for the first 30 days?
• How does family size affect TQSA?
• What is the difference between arrival TQSA and final-departure TQSA?
• How much temporary lodging support could I receive overseas?

Common TQSA fields

Use TQSA data when

• You are arriving at a foreign post.
• You are departing a foreign post.
• You need a maximum temporary quarters ceiling.
• You are comparing temporary lodging costs against eligible reimbursement limits.

6. Living Quarters Allowance

Use this source when estimating a maximum housing allowance ceiling at a foreign post.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances.

Living Quarters Allowance, commonly called LQA, helps eligible employees pay for rent and certain utilities at a foreign post. LQA depends on eligibility, employee group, family status, post, and agency-specific rules.

Use LQA data for questions like:

• What is the LQA ceiling for this foreign post?
• What is the maximum annual housing allowance?
• How does family status affect the LQA ceiling?
• What housing ceiling applies to a DoD civilian overseas?
• How much rent could be covered at a foreign assignment?

Common LQA fields

Use LQA data when

• You are evaluating an overseas job offer.
• You need a housing allowance ceiling.
• You are comparing foreign posts by housing support.
• You are planning an OCONUS civilian assignment.

7. Post Hardship Differential

Use this source when estimating extra compensation for service at difficult foreign posts.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances, DSSR 500.

Post Hardship Differential provides additional compensation for service at foreign posts where conditions differ substantially from those in the United States.

Use hardship data for questions like:

• What is the hardship differential for this post?
• Does this location have hardship pay?
• How much hardship differential applies to my salary?
• Which posts have the highest hardship differential?
• How does hardship affect total overseas compensation?

Common hardship fields

Use hardship data when

• You are evaluating a foreign assignment.
• You are comparing hardship posts.
• You are estimating overseas compensation.
• You are modeling payroll or assignment costs.

8. Danger Pay Allowance

Use this source when estimating compensation for service at designated danger pay locations.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances, DSSR 650.

Danger Pay Allowance applies to designated foreign locations where conditions create additional risk.

Use danger pay data for questions like:

• Does this post have danger pay?
• What is the danger pay percentage?
• How much danger pay could apply to my salary?
• Which posts currently have danger pay?
• How does danger pay affect overseas compensation?

Common danger pay fields

Use danger pay data when

• You are reviewing a foreign assignment.
• You are comparing posts with security risks.
• You are estimating compensation at a designated danger pay location.
• You are modeling overseas payroll costs.

9. Education Allowance

Use this source when estimating school-related support for eligible children at a foreign post.

Official source: U.S. Department of State Office of Allowances.

Education Allowance helps eligible employees cover certain educational costs for children while assigned to foreign posts.

Use education allowance data for questions like:

• What is the education allowance for this post?
• What is the away-from-post education allowance?
• What school-year rate applies?
• How much education support is available for children overseas?
• How do education allowances compare across posts?

Common education allowance fields

Use education allowance data when

• You are moving overseas with school-age children.
• You are comparing assignments by family support.
• You are estimating overseas schooling costs.
• You are planning a foreign-service or civilian OCONUS move.

10. Military travel allowances

Use this source when the traveler is a uniformed service member or when the travel is governed by the Joint Travel Regulations.

Official source: Defense Travel Management Office and the Joint Travel Regulations.

Military travel can involve different rules from civilian federal travel. DTMO is the best starting point for per diem, travel, transportation, and allowance rules related to DoD travelers.

Use military travel sources for questions like:

• What per diem applies to a service member?
• What rate applies under the Joint Travel Regulations?
• What is the lodging or meals rate for an OCONUS military traveler?
• Which rules apply to temporary lodging for military moves?

Use military travel sources when

• The traveler is a service member.
• The reimbursement is governed by the Joint Travel Regulations.
• The location is a military installation or OCONUS area.
• You are working with DoD travel authorization or voucher rules.

11. Contractor travel budgeting

Federal contractors often use government per diem rates for proposal budgets, travel policies, and cost estimates. The correct source depends on destination.

Contractor policies and contract terms may affect reimbursement. Government per diem tables are often used as a ceiling or planning benchmark, but the contract controls what is allowable.

Use contractor travel data for questions like:

• What per diem should I use in a proposal?
• How much should I budget for travel to this location?
• Which lodging and M&IE rates apply?
• What historical rate applied when the trip occurred?
• How can I automate travel budget calculations?

Common location mistakes

Mistake 1: Using GSA for foreign travel

GSA rates apply to CONUS travel. For foreign destinations, use the Department of State foreign per diem rates.

Mistake 2: Treating all OCONUS destinations the same

OCONUS includes both foreign and non-foreign locations. A foreign destination usually points to State Department rates. A non-foreign OCONUS destination usually points to DTMO.

Mistake 3: Looking up COLA in the per diem table

Post Allowance / COLA and per diem are separate concepts. COLA relates to cost-of-living support at a foreign post. Per diem relates to official travel lodging and meals.

Mistake 4: Treating an allowance ceiling as a guaranteed payment

Many allowance calculations produce a maximum ceiling. Actual payment or reimbursement can depend on eligibility, receipts, agency rules, travel orders, and approvals.

Mistake 5: Ignoring effective dates

Allowance and per diem rates can change over time. Always check the effective date for the rate used in a claim, payroll calculation, proposal, or historical audit.

Allowance source decision tree

Use this quick decision tree to find the right source.

Step 1: What kind of location is involved?

Step 2: What kind of rate do you need?

Step 3: Are you calculating a current rate or a historical rate?

Use the effective date that matches your need:

• Current travel planning: use the current effective rate.
• Past reimbursement: use the rate that was effective during the travel or claim period.
• Payroll audit: use the effective rate for the relevant pay period.
• Proposal pricing: use the rate required by the solicitation, contract, or internal policy.

Examples

Example 1: Federal employee traveling to Denver

Use GSA because Denver is in CONUS.

Relevant rate types:

• Lodging
• M&IE
• Total per diem

Example 2: DoD civilian traveling to Honolulu

Use DTMO because Hawaii is non-foreign OCONUS.

Relevant rate types:

• Lodging
• Local meals
• Local incidentals

Example 3: Federal employee traveling to Paris

Use the State Department foreign per diem table because Paris is a foreign destination.

Relevant rate types:

• Lodging
• M&IE
• Seasonal foreign per diem rate

Example 4: Employee assigned to a foreign post

Use the State Department Office of Allowances for foreign-post allowances.

Relevant rate types may include:

• Post Allowance / COLA
• Living Quarters Allowance
• Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance
• Hardship differential
• Danger pay
• Education allowance

Example 5: Contractor pricing travel for a federal proposal

Select the source based on destination.

• CONUS: GSA
• Non-foreign OCONUS: DTMO
• Foreign: State Department

Then confirm whether the solicitation, contract, or company travel policy changes how those rates are applied.

When automation helps

Manual lookups work for one trip or one post. Automation becomes useful when you need to handle many locations, dates, travelers, or allowance types.

Common automation use cases include:

• Proposal travel budgets
• Payroll calculations
• Overseas assignment cost estimates
• Historical rate audits
• ERP or HRIS integrations
• Travel policy compliance checks
• Rate change monitoring
• Multi-location dashboards

Allowances API provides normalized access to federal allowance and per diem data, including current and historical rates, so teams can use one integration instead of building separate workflows for each public source.

Related tools

Use these free tools to estimate common foreign-post allowances:

• Post Allowance / COLA Calculator
• Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (TQSA) Calculator

Disclaimer

This guide is for informational and planning purposes. Official entitlement, reimbursement, and payroll decisions depend on the applicable law, regulation, agency policy, travel orders, contract terms, and approving office. Always verify allowance eligibility and reimbursement rules with the official source or your agency.